ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200084
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.
SOURCE: MARCIA DUNN ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNCLE SAM AND his former Cold War partner are at it again, sort of. But this standoff is in the cold reaches of Earth orbit.
First there was the size surprise: NASA didn't learn until late in the game that half its astronauts are too tall, or too short, or too whatever, to fit into Russian space capsules.
Now comes the who's-in-charge issue.
After two shuttle-Mir dockings and No.3 coming up this week, not to mention several years of negotiations, NASA and the Russian space agency still are arguing over who will be in charge of the international space station once it's built - American astronauts or Russian cosmonauts.
The Europeans, the Japanese and the Canadians who will be sharing the orbiting outpost are mere observers of the dispute. This is between the Big Boys, Space Superpowers A and B.
Says an amused Dieter Andresen of the European Space Agency: ``I see a commander for Apartment A and a commander for Apartment B ....''
``I think the Russian part will actually listen to their ground station, what they are saying,'' Andresen said, ``and the Americans will listen to the American station, and what has been organized on the ground I don't think will be organized in orbit.
``Maybe the European solution would be to make one chap in charge for one week and then change it.''
Late last year, NASA had to withdraw two of its astronauts from training for Mir flights. One was too tall and the other too short to fit safely into Russian Soyuz capsules, which are used on the Russian space station Mir as lifeboats and will also be used on the international space station, at least in the early years.
Miscommunication, NASA officials sheepishly explained.
Then in late January, NASA's acting spaceflight chief Wilbur Trafton Jr. announced that American astronaut William Shepherd will command the first U.S.-Russian crew to live on the international space station in 1998.
But Trafton went on to say that Americans will always be in charge of the international station.
Russian space officials were surprised to hear that. There had been no such agreement, they stressed last week.
``It seems to me that Mr. Trafton answered this question too fast. ... A final decision has not been made yet,'' said Valery Ryumin, an ex-cosmonaut in charge of the shuttle-Mir docking missions. ``As to my personal opinion, I would think that a crew commander on the station should be the most experienced astronaut or cosmonaut regardless of their origin country.''
Considering Mir has been orbiting Earth for 10 years, with cosmonauts living there for months, even a year or more at a time, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who has the most space experience.
Yeah, but who's footing most of the bill for the international station? many NASA folks ask.
The Russians repeatedly have refused to say how much they've spent, or plan to spend, on the international space station. NASA's share, not counting shuttle launch costs, is an estimated $30 billion through station completion in 2002. The first component is supposed to be hauled up late next year.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 linesby CNB